# Project 657007 — B61 LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAM

**Program element:** 0101125F — Nuclear Weapons Modernization  
**Project:** 657007  
**Component:** U.S. Air Force  
**Appropriation:** 3600 — RDT&E, Air Force  
**Budget Activity:** 5 — System Development & Demonstration  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101125F/657007  
**Parent:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101125F

## Summary

Project 657007 — B61 LIFE EXTENSION PROGRAM requests $13.0M in FY2027, 56% of the $23.1M requested for program element 0101125F — a new start, with no prior-year and no current-year money. 4 R-2A activities decompose the request, 4 new this cycle. 309th is the largest named R-3 performer at $0.4M, 3.3% of the project's FY2027 R-3 total.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 0.0 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 0.0 |
| FY2027 | Request | 13.0 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 22.0 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 10.0 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 1.0 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 0.0 |

> Estimate types are not summed. This project is one leaf of PE 0101125F; the PE total is the sum of its projects, never added to them.

## What project 657007 buys

This project supports the B61 Life Extension Program (LEP), a critical national security initiative to modernize a key component of the nuclear triad. The B61 LEP integrates Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to extend the warhead's service life with Department of War (DoW) efforts to develop a modern, guided Tail Kit Assembly (TKA). This ensures the weapon maintains its operational effectiveness and mission characteristics. Programmatic integration of this joint Air Force-led program is accomplished through the B61 LEP Project Officers Group (POG) and its subgroups, in accordance with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) Memorandum of Understanding. This project is a new start initiative beginning in FY 2027. No funding was allocated in FY 2025 or FY 2026. The total cost of the B61 LEP Middle Tier of Acquisition (MTA) effort is $46 million, including RDT&E and procurement of prototype units. The B61 LEP is fully funded across the Future Years Defense Program. Funding will be used to award the prime contract and initiate critical engineering and integration activities. Specifically, this funding will enable: • System Engineering: To ensure the All-Up Round (AUR) technical integration is successful and all system interfaces are properly defined. • Aircraft Integration: To begin software development and testing to ensure the new B61 variant is fully compatible with threshold aircraft mission planning systems. • Test and Evaluation: To fund test planning, range coordination, and support for validation and verification activities, which are critical for eventual nuclear certification. • Program Management: To provide essential government oversight of cost, schedule, and performance, ensuring the program remains on track to deliver this vital capability to the warfighter. The acquisition strategy utilizes a low-risk, expedited Mid-Tier Acquisition (MTA) pathway by modifying the existing, highly reliable B61-12 TKA, which significantly reduces technical and programmatic risk. This funding is critical to maintaining the program's schedule and delivering a modernized, credible deterrent capability. This program element included all necessary expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability.

**R-3 lines of work:** Product Development; Support; Test and Evaluation; Management Services.

## Named R-3 performers

| Performer | $M | Share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total |
|---|---|---|
| 309th | 0.4 | 3.3% |

> Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations. Shares need not reach 100% — unnamed and government work is in the denominator.

## Activities (R-2A) — 4

| Activity | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 | Move | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Integration (B61) | — | 0.0 | 8.5 | new | — |
| Engineering & Manufacturing Development Contract (B61) | — | 0.0 | 2.8 | new | — |
| Test Support (B61) | — | 0.0 | 0.9 | new | — |
| AUR Technical Integration (B61) | — | 0.0 | 0.8 | new | — |

> Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. In the request year they partition this project exactly; in earlier years they can under-cover it.

### Aircraft Integration (B61) — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Execute planned activities for integration onto threshold aircraft, e.g. mission planning software, lab-based verification testing, etc.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** New start in FY2027.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** New start in FY2027.

### Engineering & Manufacturing Development Contract (B61) — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Fund OEM to update the upgrade the TKA through a new OFP software.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** New start in FY2027.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** New start in FY2027.

### Test Support (B61) — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Fund test support activities for TKA and all-up-round validation and verification, e.g. flight tests, secure test range time, and analysis of test data.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** New start in FY2027.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** New start in FY2027.

### AUR Technical Integration (B61) — NEW START

**FY2027 planned work.** Fund government-led system engineering and integration tasks to ensure All Up Round is compatible with all required aircraft and system integration. Key activities include verifying Interface Control Documents and support B61 LEP Project Officers Group.

**FY2026 to FY2027 change.** New start in FY2027.

**FY2026 plans — current year.** New start in FY2027.

## What is NOT on this page

Congressional marks, the R-2 mission description and acquisition strategy, the industry vs government split of the whole request, and related program elements are recorded at **program-element** grain — an NDAA mark lands on a PE, never on a project. They are at https://hitchintel.com/programs/0101125F.

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Air Force RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-2A/R-3, PE 0101125F project 657007 (PB PB2027).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0101125F")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*